FAQ: Flying Out of Buffalo OR Detroit

[brighteyes]

I am flying out of buffalo on Aug 11 but plan on staying at a hotel the night before to do a park sleep n fly. I will need parking for 16 nights including the night before our flight. I am wondering which is a good hotel to stay at with good shuttle service and a well lit, locked parking lot? Also, what is a decent amount to pay?

And which bridge would be the best to cross at if I am coming from Kitchener?

Is there anything else I need to know as well? I have never flown out of Buffalo or at all in the last 10 years. I am flying SWA.

Thanks.

 

[MrsB1228]

We stayed at the Days Hotel Buffalo Airport the last 3 times we flew out of Buffalo. It's an older hotel but very well kept and is right across the street from the airport. They start serving their complimentary breakfast early (around 4am if I remember correctly) and the shuttle service is fast and runs "on demand". We would go down for breakfast, then back upstairs to brush our teeth, grab our suitcases and then back to the front desk to request the shuttle. They call and about 5 minutes later, it arrives to pick you up. You're at the airport in about 10 minutes, easy-peasy. We got a coupon for 20% off our last stay, but I think standard prices run around $115 - $125 for the time we travel (end of September). You'd have to check the website for August pricing. 7 days parking is included, and each additional day is around $8/day I believe. The have a locked, fenced compound right behind the hotel for your car, and it's monitored by video cameras 24 hours a day. You park your own car and take your keys with you.

We always cross at the Peace Bridge.

Hope that helps!

 

[brighteyes]

We stayed at the Days Hotel Buffalo Airport the last 3 times we flew out of Buffalo. It's an older hotel but very well kept and is right across the street from the airport. They start serving their complimentary breakfast early (around 4am if I remember correctly) and the shuttle service is fast and runs "on demand". We would go down for breakfast, then back upstairs to brush our teeth, grab our suitcases and then back to the front desk to request the shuttle. They call and about 5 minutes later, it arrives to pick you up. You're at the airport in about 10 minutes, easy-peasy. We got a coupon for 20% off our last stay, but I think standard prices run around $115 - $125 for the time we travel (end of September). You'd have to check the website for August pricing. 7 days parking is included, and each additional day is around $8/day I believe. The have a locked, fenced compound right behind the hotel for your car, and it's monitored by video cameras 24 hours a day. You park your own car and take your keys with you.

We always cross at the Peace Bridge.

Hope that helps!

Great! That does help! May I ask how you got the discount coupon? Any $$ saved is money I can spend at Disney.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Great! That does help! May I ask how you got the discount coupon? Any $$ saved is money I can spend at Disney.

I'm not the PP you were quoting, but we stayed at the same property a few years ago and got a coupon for a future stay (sent to us via email, if I remember correctly) after we stayed the first time. Considering the PP has also stayed there now for multiple trips, I am guessing they might still be offering that promotion (fingers crossed, because we are flying out of BUF in both October and December, and have park and fly reservations for both trips at the Days Inn).

brighteyes, you may also want to see what rates for Days Inn Buffalo Airport are through Peace Bridge Duty Free. Sometimes they are lower than through the hotel itself, and then you also get a $5 voucher to apply to any of your purchases at the Duty Free store.

http://www.dutyfree.ca/DaysHotelFlying.aspx

 

[MrsB1228]

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina is exactly right, we received our 20% off coupon directly from the hotel via email, about 4 months after our stay. It was good for any future stay. The deal through Peace Bridge Duty Free, if available, would definitely be the way to go! It looks like the charge would be $89 + tax and it includes 30 days parking! If you can get that, it's definitely a sweet deal. Good luck!

 

[hardis5]

Anyone have recent parking experiences in Detroit? Any recommendations?

 

[Frank4202]

Anyone have recent parking experiences in Detroit? Any recommendations?

I ALWAYS park at the green lot which is $8 per day. They shuttle you in and out to your terminal using large vans. There is also a blue covered lot available for what I believe is $10 a day.

 

[brighteyes]

I'm not the PP you were quoting, but we stayed at the same property a few years ago and got a coupon for a future stay (sent to us via email, if I remember correctly) after we stayed the first time. Considering the PP has also stayed there now for multiple trips, I am guessing they might still be offering that promotion (fingers crossed, because we are flying out of BUF in both October and December, and have park and fly reservations for both trips at the Days Inn).

brighteyes, you may also want to see what rates for Days Inn Buffalo Airport are through Peace Bridge Duty Free. Sometimes they are lower than through the hotel itself, and then you also get a $5 voucher to apply to any of your purchases at the Duty Free store.

http://www.dutyfree.ca/DaysHotelFlying.aspx

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina is exactly right, we received our 20% off coupon directly from the hotel via email, about 4 months after our stay. It was good for any future stay. The deal through Peace Bridge Duty Free, if available, would definitely be the way to go! It looks like the charge would be $89 + tax and it includes 30 days parking! If you can get that, it's definitely a sweet deal. Good luck!

Thank you everyone I booked the Days Hotel through the Peace Bridge Duty Free for 89. Night which includes 30 days of parking. Leaving Monday for Buffalo and flying out Tuesday.

 

[brighteyes]

How far is the hotel from the Peace Bridge?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thank you everyone I booked the Days Hotel through the Peace Bridge Duty Free for 89. Night which includes 30 days of parking. Leaving Monday for Buffalo and flying out Tuesday.

Have a great trip!! Let us know what you think of the hotel after you have stayed there. We haven't flown from BUF since Christmas 2012 (prices have been better from Syracuse, which is a bit closer for us) but we will be at the Days Inn Buffalo Airport is less than 9 weeks and again in December, so I'm interested to hear if anything has changed in the last 2.5 years.

 

[shaynar]

Does anyone know of a hotel near the Buffalo airport that has a full fridge in the room?

 

[doobie11]

Does anyone know if Southwest is still flying nonstop to Orlando from Flint? I've been looking and can't see it. Or does anyone besides Spirit and Delta fly nonstop from Detroit to Orlando? I've looked on Southwest website, but can't seem to find the info. We would fly out of Detroit, Columbus, Flint or even southwest Ontario, but only if nonstop flights.
Why is it so hard to find on airline websites? I want them to tell me where they depart from that are nonstop. I finally saw on Westjet route map that they departed from London to Orlando on what I thought was a nonstop flight. I picked the dates, and they were all connecting flights. I don't want to have to input 5 airports in the search function in order to figure it out. What am I missing?
thanks so much

 

[Frank4202]

Does anyone know if Southwest is still flying nonstop to Orlando from Flint? I've been looking and can't see it. Or does anyone besides Spirit and Delta fly nonstop from Detroit to Orlando? I've looked on Southwest website, but can't seem to find the info. We would fly out of Detroit, Columbus, Flint or even southwest Ontario, but only if nonstop flights.
Why is it so hard to find on airline websites? I want them to tell me where they depart from that are nonstop. I finally saw on Westjet route map that they departed from London to Orlando on what I thought was a nonstop flight. I picked the dates, and they were all connecting flights. I don't want to have to input 5 airports in the search function in order to figure it out. What am I missing?
thanks so much

As far as I know, Southwest no longer offers non stop flights from Detroit Metro or Flint. They all have stops. I checked for about two months before I gave up and went non stop with Delta. It was cheaper too.

 

[MidnightParade]

Does anyone know if Southwest is still flying nonstop to Orlando from Flint? I've been looking and can't see it. Or does anyone besides Spirit and Delta fly nonstop from Detroit to Orlando? I've looked on Southwest website, but can't seem to find the info. We would fly out of Detroit, Columbus, Flint or even southwest Ontario, but only if nonstop flights.
Why is it so hard to find on airline websites? I want them to tell me where they depart from that are nonstop. I finally saw on Westjet route map that they departed from London to Orlando on what I thought was a nonstop flight. I picked the dates, and they were all connecting flights. I don't want to have to input 5 airports in the search function in order to figure it out. What am I missing?
thanks so much

I think sometimes if you look at the airport website they may have a list of destinations they have direct flights too. But not 100%.

 

[RCMommy]

We have flown out of Detroit numerous times. Sometimes drove in the night before, other times the day of. Never ever felt unsafe, and you are not right in Detroit anyway. We leave the car with Qwik Park on Merriman Rd. Red shuttles. It is secure parking. Grab the shuttle and there in minutes. We have stayed at a few of the hotels right across the street. I recall getting a coupon off of their website. I know when we booked a hotel and 8 nights parking it was around $150 USD.

Also flown out of Buffalo airport BUF. We take the Qweenston -Lewiston bridge. That bridge is more quiet than Blue Water in Sarnia and the Buffalo airport is not as busy as Detroit in my opinion. They are both roughly the same drive for us from London, so I start watching flight prices and book out of whatever airport is cheaper. This coming trip it is SWA out of BUF. For the dates I want there is no direct SWA flights from DTW to MCO. I find Delta is often a little less out of Buffalo than Detroit. I know a lot of people that claim to have gotten great deals with Jet Blue out of BUF to MCO but I have yet to ever find one of those deals.

 

[RCMommy]

As far as I know, Southwest no longer offers non stop flights from Detroit Metro or Flint. They all have stops. I checked for about two months before I gave up and went non stop with Delta. It was cheaper too.

I believe all of the United flights from London stop over in Chicago, where they switch to bigger planes. All the Air Canada flights first go to Toronto and that is on a prop plane , then switch.

West Jet I personally find all of their flight prices are downright ridiculous prices or you lose an entire day to travel time.

 

[kat0291]

I believe all of the United flights from London stop over in Chicago, where they switch to bigger planes. All the Air Canada flights first go to Toronto and that is on a prop plane , then switch.

West Jet I personally find all of their flight prices are downright ridiculous prices or you lose an entire day to travel time.

 

[kat0291]

Another cheap airline from dtw to mco is fronter. It is like spirit but for a 2 hour direct flight the prices are good.

 

[kat0291]

Has anyone flown Spirit Airlines out of the Detroit airport? Are they reliable?

never had a problem.

 

[MainStreetMouse]

We used to fly Southwest all the time but wold rather fly direct now so we now fly Delta. Prices are often the same or a bit cheaper. Since Delta charges $25 for checked luggage we are usually able to check just one bag with items that TSA will not allow in carry on. This keeps prices comparable.

Big difference with Delta is the direct flights, I do not like lay overs any more.

As far as I know, Southwest no longer offers non stop flights from Detroit Metro or Flint. They all have stops. I checked for about two months before I gave up and went non stop with Delta. It was cheaper too.